Robert is the Director of the Economist Intelligence Corporate Network based in Dubai and covering the MENA region.

Robert works closely with network members to help inform their business strategies through political, economic and operational insight and to connect them with their senior leadership peers.
Robert is a business journalist, editor and publisher with nearly 25 years of experience covering a wide variety of sectors, including hospitality, retail, construction, energy and transport, and a particular interest in human capital management.

He is an accomplished event chairman, moderator and speaker.
Robert completed an MBA at the University of Leicester School of Business in 2012 and holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Nottingham.

Mr. Al-Shaikh is a thought leader who had been a member of the UAE’s development force for over 2 decades. He is an academically qualified financial professional in UAE & US who currently chairs Emirate National Holdings LLC and Al-Shaikh Investments LLC, multi-disciplined investment vehicles. He has held many prominent and top positions in the public posts such as Director-General of the Department of Finance - Government of Dubai, member of The Executive Council - a Government body entrusted with formulating & steering Dubai’s strategic plan and as a member of the Supreme Fiscal Committee - Government of Dubai.

He has also held leadership roles in private and public sector with interests in real estate, finance and development, education, consumer savings products, retail & corporate banking, and aerospace.

Mr. Al-Shaikh chaired Amlak Finance PJSC, Deyaar Development PJSC, Taaleem PJSC, National Bonds Corporation PJSC, the Sharia-compliant National Savings Scheme of the UAE. He also served as a member of the Board of Directors of Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, Dubai Islamic Bank PJSC and the Dubai Real Estate Corporation (Wasl).

Previously, He was also Head of Finance and Administration of The Executive Office of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and Chief Financial Officer at the Dubai Office.

Abdulkhaleq Abdulla is a UAE national born in 1953. He is a retired professor of Political Science and Chairman of the Arab Council for Social Science. He also served as director of Gulf Research Unit, Sharjah for ten years.

He served as director of Gulf Research Unit, Sharjah for ten years.

He holds PhD in Political science from Georgetown University and MA from American University in Washington DC.

Professor Abdulla was a Fulbright Scholar and a visiting professor at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University. He occasionally teaches a course for the Master in Gulf Studies Program at Qatar University.

His research interests include issues of political changes in the Gulf and the Arab World. He is the author of several books including the Gulf Regional System.

He has published more than 50 articles, the latest are the “The Repercussion of the Arab Spring for the GCC States”, “Sociopolitical Issues of the Arab Gulf Moment” and "The GCC at a crossroads”.